Play to Win! 10 Steps to Gamify Your Contact Centre

Contact centres have always been on the frontline of customer service, but now more than ever, they are facing a daily barrage of more complex enquiries, and customers expect immediate and tailored solutions.

It’s essential that contact centre leaders find creative ways to keep their agents motivated enough to deliver top-notch experiences.

The ideal outcome is a workplace where agents are energized, customers are delighted, and every interaction is a win–win. So how can this be achieved?

Integrating Game-Like Elements Creates Better Outcomes for Your Contact Centre

The answer lies in gamification, integrating game-like elements into the contact centre, resulting in better outcomes throughout your operation, including:

Increased Engagement: Using gamification to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as Average Handling Time, First Call Resolution, and Customer Satisfaction through a gamified platform can make these goals feel more like personal achievements.
Improved Performance: Gamification allows for clear, measurable goals that directly align with business objectives. If you reward agents for hitting specific targets – such as reducing waiting time or increasing customer satisfaction – contact centres can see improvements in these crucial metrics.
Reduced Agent Turnover: Game-like elements such as challenges, rewards, and friendly competition can create a sense of belonging, achievement, and excitement. When agents feel appreciated, motivated, and valued, they are more likely to stay.
Enhanced CX: When agents are engaged, they provide better service, leading to increased customer loyalty towards brands that prioritize enjoyable interactions.

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How to Design a Winning Gamification Strategy in Just 10 Steps

Want to find out more? Read on as we take a closer look at how you can turn everyday tasks into exciting and rewarding experiences…

1. Set Clear Goals

Before implementing gamification, it’s crucial to define clear objectives. What behaviours do you want to encourage among your agents? Make sure these objectives are communicated clearly to agents, so they understand exactly what they are working towards.

To truly unlock the potential of gamification, you’ll also need tools to track progress and measure success – so you can monitor key metrics, reward achievements, and provide real-time feedback.

For example, using call centre analytics to track website traffic and user engagement can help measure the success of your gamified agent campaigns.

2. Create a Fun New Points System

Design a points system that allows agents to accumulate points based on their performance in achieving key metrics.

A clear and transparent points system keeps agents motivated and focused on achieving their goals as, once they accumulate enough points, they can redeem them for rewards like bonuses, gift cards, or extra time off.

Don’t forget to have some fun with it too, as we saw on our site visit to the Ocado Customer Hub in Sunderland:

Where personalization is possible, rename your internal systems with a name that really resonates with and engages your teams, as Suzanne Reay, Learning & Development Partner, shares:

“We internally rebranded our gamification platform to MINT for 3 reasons:

We are big on food, and mint is a widely used herb
The association with The Royal Mint makes it a good fit for money and rewards
And last, but not least, “Pua Mint” is local slang for “It’s Amazing!”

3. Communicate the Purpose and Benefits

When your goals are set and your points system is ready, invest some time in making sure your agents understand the “why” behind the new gamification strategy – before you roll it out!

When agents understand the purpose behind gamification, and how their efforts contribute to the overall success of the contact centre, they’re more likely to engage with the system and work towards achieving their goals.

4. Spark Friendly Competition for Agents – Against Themselves and Others

To increase motivation, introduce a competitive element by creating leaderboards that display top performers.

Ensure that the competition remains friendly and supportive, promoting a sense of camaraderie rather than hostility. A healthy competitive environment will drive agents to improve their performance while maintaining team unity.

You can also set challenges to encourage agents to compete against their personal best week on week.

If you are struggling to find the right games for your agents to play whilst working in the call centre, read our article: Can You Recommend Any Games I Can Use to Motivate My Agents?

5. Introduce Team Challenges Too

Don’t make it all about individuals though!

While individual competition can be motivating, team collaboration should also be a key component of your strategy. Introduce team challenges where agents work together to achieve shared goals, such as collective customer satisfaction targets or resolution-time goals.

Reward teams that reach their goals with group incentives like team lunches, outings, or recognition at company events. This encourages agents to support each other, and strengthens the team dynamic, which should lead to a better working environment overall.

6. Focus Games Around Key Metrics

It’s not just about who they’re playing, it’s also what they are playing for. When choosing your next game, make it relevant to your current key priorities for performance improvements, such as a specific metric you are trying to boost.

For example, if you are trying to boost your NPS ratings from the week before, you could try introducing a game of NPS Snakes and Ladders, as we saw at our site visit to Fasthosts in Gloucester (UK):

“Every time an agent receives a 9 or 10 Net Promoter Score (NPS), they get to roll a dice and take their turn in playing Snakes and Ladders.

The first person to reach 100 wins! Recent prizes for the Fasthosts team have included a new keyboard for their desks – a useful prize that helps to make their workspace even better.”

7. Explore How the Latest Tech Solutions Are Taking Gamification to the Next Level

Of course, setting up games doesn’t have to be a manual exercise. Gamification has a whole new meaning when you start seeing what the latest technology can do.

For example, through their gamification platform, Ocado colleagues can give each other ‘Kudos’ – a virtual “pat on the back” – to thank and recognize one another. They love it – collectively sending over 1,000 points to each other every month.

If this is an option you’d like to explore, here are a handful of tried and trusted companies offering gamification solutions in the market right now:

Centrical: Offers a gamification platform that focuses on learning and development, making training more engaging and effective.
Five9: Offers a gamification platform integrated with its contact centre solution, allowing you to set goals, track progress, and reward top performers.
Genesys: Provides a gamification platform that uses game mechanics and social features to motivate agents and improve performance.

8. Incorporate Real-Time Feedback

Gamification is most effective when agents receive real-time feedback on their performance.

So, where possible, provide instant feedback, letting agents know how they are performing against their goals. This immediate feedback keeps agents motivated and allows them to adjust their approach if needed.

You can also do this manually by floor walking, setting up a dedicated Slack or Teams channel, or by call listening with the purpose of catching and rewarding wow moments.

9. Provide Non-Monetary Rewards

While monetary incentives are effective, non-monetary rewards can also be powerful motivators. Consider offering recognition through monthly awards, special titles, or public praise during team meetings.

Other non-financial rewards might include access to a VIP breakout room, priority car parking spaces, or even additional annual leave.

These rewards show agents that their efforts are valued and can be redeemed in ways beyond just financial compensation (because remember, while this is the most commonly desired reward, it is smart to consider other options you can provide for your agents as well).

If you are looking for incentive ideas, read our article: 100 Great Staff Incentives to Motivate Your Team

10. Regularly Review and Adjust Your Strategy

Gamification isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it solution.

To keep your agents motivated and your strategy effective, it’s crucial to regularly assess its impact. Analyse the data, gather agent feedback, and review overall business outcomes. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to tweak the rewards system, goals, or metrics.

A successful gamification strategy is flexible and adaptable – so by frequently refining your approach, you can ensure that your agents stay engaged, and that your contact centre thrives.

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Gamification Is the Future of Contact Centres

Gamification isn’t just a trend – it’s the future of contact centres – and whilst some of the benefits can be achieved manually, through new innovations in gaming mechanics, it’ll become easier and easier to transform your workplace into a dynamic, engaging environment.

So what’s stopping you from levelling up your contact centre?